Fate Resonance
by galladefenrir44
Summary: Taking place in an alternate reality to the original Fate series; Fate/Resonance is the story of two teams of masters and servants battling for the chance to have their greatest wishes granted in a new Holy Grail War dubbed the War of Mourning Grail. Only one team can win, but each master and servant will have to fight tooth and nail to even glimpse victory and survival.
1. Chapter 1

**It's been so long and I've missed adding to this site. Also, for the first time, I'm writing something that has nothing to do with Pokemon. So this is going to be an interesting experience. So please enjoy, you guys! I'll be adding fairly regularly to this story if you guys like it. Have a great day!**

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**Saya**

Saya walked down the halls of the mansion that had been her home since her birth. The walls, floors, and paths were so familiar and a sense of comfort for her. Each inch of the large estate was the location of a memory that she held dear. Yet, she would soon leave and she was not sure when she would return. For the moment, she wanted to take in as much as she could, while her family packed her belongings for her and prepared to send it abroad to her new home. So much was changing and so quickly; maybe too quickly for her liking.

Saya looked down at the back of her right hand, seeing a red symbol that appeared to be in the shape of a sword. This was the reason for her exodus; the reason for her to leave behind everything she held so dear. She was chosen to be the master of the Saber class servant in a war that was to be fought between mages from around the world. All that remained was for her to summon her servant once her family finished all the preparations at their shrine.

She walked out into the garden, watching the man-made stream that ran through it. Stepping onto the bridge, she looked down onto the pond, which the stream emptied into, watching the koi swim around and snatch any insects that made the poor choice of resting on the surface of the water. She did not know how to take being sent to another part of the world. From what her father had informed me, she was going to England to meet up with the chosen mage of House Davish in London. Her father made her understand that her family and the Davish family have had a long standing agreement to fight alongside each other in proceeding Holy Grail Wars. They wanted her to work with people she had never met, but they were hosting her and giving her food and shelter throughout the duration of the war. The sound of someone walking onto the bridge woke her from her daydream. She turned and saw an older woman in a yukata walking over to her with a warm smile.

The old woman asked her, "Clearing your thoughts, my dear?"

Saya looked at her, smiling back, "I guess I was. I'm worried about what is going to happen, grandma." She said as she invited her grandmother next to her, so they could watch the koi together. To her, her grandmother was the dearest person in the world; always being a source of advice and comfort since she was born.

Her grandmother stood next to her and held one of Saya's hands, being as comforting as she could to the conflicted young woman, "It is a family tradition to battle in the Holy Grail War. Your mother was a Master before you and I was one before her. In fact, your grandfather and I fought side by side many years ago. I remember those days. Constant fighting between us and other masters and their servants."

"You and grandpa didn't get along?" Saya asked.

"We were kids and back then, there was no team structure like there is now. I tried to kill him on a couple of occasions so that I could win. Despite that, he never made a move against me. We didn't end up winning, but we grew very close from the experience." She looked up to the sky, seeing the painted sky of the setting sun, as if reminiscing. "Who knows, you might find your future husband on this trip of yours." She said in a teasing tone.

"Grandmother!" Saya yelled, beginning to grow red in the face.

"Oh hush! It was a joke...with some truth in it." She turned and took both of Saya's hands into her own, "You'll do great, dear. You don't have to win. You just have to come back to us. I'll be proud of you either way."

The two women hugged each other, taking a moment that Saya was not sure if she would have with her grandmother ever again. They held their hold for a long while until she heard a call saying, "It is ready!"

Saya separated from her grandmother and looked towards the house. "Time to summon my servant."

Her grandmother said to her, "You'll do great, dear."

Saya smiled down at her grandmother once more and the two walked off the bridge and made their way towards the family shrine. The shrine took up a large portion of the eastern wing of the house and was always protected by the family guards. Saya never understood why it was so important for the family, but she was not about to question the decisions of her parents. Inside the shrine, she saw many icons and ancient trinkets that were hung on the walls of placed on pedestals. She wondered which one of these items she would be given to summon her servant.

She walked over to where a man and woman were standing and received a sharp look from the woman. "Are you finished preparing?"

Saya looked at the woman's sharp brown eyes and nodded, "Yes, mother."

"Good. The sooner you do this the better. You leave first thing in the morning."

The man cleared his throat and handed an object to Saya. Saya looked down at the object and could not help but feel a tad disappointed. In her hands was a long, rusted piece of metal. She could make out what appeared to be faded runes on the piece of metal.

"What is this, father?" Saya asked, still inspecting the rusted metal.

"The head of House Davish sent that relic over for you to use as the catalyst for your servant. From what we understood, it's a piece of a sword's hilt. Despite this, he did not elaborate too much on its origin, but they guaranteed that the servant that will appear from it will be powerful. With your magical parameters, combat training, and magical circuits, you should serve as a great master to a powerful servant." He looked over at his wife and then back to Saya, placing his hands on her shoulders, "Listen to me, my dear. All we want from you is that you return home in one piece. So don't do anything reckless while you're in Europe. Do you understand?"

Saya nodded, "Yes, father."

"Good. So let's see what this catalyst will call forth."

Saya gripped the rusted hilt and walked forward, to where a large summoning circle had been drawn. She placed the hilt at the center of the circle and stepped back, taking a moment to look at it. Raising a hand, Saya concentrated on the power within her magical circuits and the command seals that adorned her right hand.

"Now speak the incantation that the Grail has relayed to you." Saya's commanded.

The young woman nodded, taking a deep breath before chanting, "Heed my call, oh forgotten King of the Wilds. Nature was your temple and the beasts were you kin. Unknown to the future, but shackled by the past. Forge a link to me and share your plight." As she was chanting, she could see the summoning circle begin to illuminate a bright blue color. "Open the gate and come to me. Your blade shall smite my enemies and I shall smite yours. As the moon rises, the blood will run."

The shine suddenly became engulfed in a bright blue light, forcing all who were there to shield their eyes from gleam. Once it had dissipated, the group took a moment to recover and looked forward, seeing a kneeling figure in the center of the summoning circle. The figure rose from their kneeling position, revealing a raven haired man of average height. His hair was wild and long, spiking at points. His face's features were sharp and was adorned with purple runes drawn across his face. His armor was very light, with silver armor on his arms, shoulders, and chest. His legs were covered in what seemed like leather and silver greaves, finishing with silver boots. His eyes were odd, with them being a striking iridescent purple, which glowed before fading. In his right hand, a long silver rune blade was held, with no other weapons in sight.

The man looked at Saya and asked, "Are you my master?"

Saya was silent for a moment, marveling that she had succeeded in summoning her servant. She took a deep breath and finally replied with a nod, "Yes. I am Saya Igarashi, heir of the Igarashi family and the first Master under my family's name. May I have your name?"

"My name is Te'ran. I have no surname to speak of." He looked around and asked, "Where in the world am I?"

"This is Japan. To be more specific, we're outside of a city name Chiba."

"I see..." Te'ran suddenly stopped and looked around. He gripped his rune sword tight and lunged towards Saya, swinging the blade in her direction. A loud clash of steel on steel was heard and Te'ran's blade suddenly stopped in mid-air, just past Saya's shoulder. "Hiding your presence won't conceal your from me. Show yourself."

For a moment, everything was still, but soon a shimmer appeared in the form of a person. The shimmer gave way to the image of a tall man wearing robes and holding a staff in his hands, which was used to block the sword. The man had long, white hair and had his body covered in markings.

The man spoke, giving off a smirk to the Saber servant, "Good! You could sense me. May I ask how?"

Te'ran tapper his nose and then his ears, "Nothing gets past my sense of smell or my hearing. I could figure out that you were here mere moments after materializing. Now, who are you?"

The man held up his hands to try to reassure the defensive servant, "Be at peace, friend. I am not your enemy. I am the Ruler servant for this Holy Grail War. I was summoned by the Grail itself to oversee order during the events of this war. As such, I do not take sides. All I can do is observe and officiate. However, the markings on my body are all command seals. Which means that if it comes down to it, I will have to intervene and force servants like yourself to forcibly abide by rules or end a conflict if the danger is too great for innocent humans nearby. As for my identity, I was once known as Solomon, king of the unified kingdom of Israel and son to King David and Bathsheba."

Te'ran considered what he had just been told and sheathed his blade back into its scabbard. He then moved towards Saya and put her behind himself, in a defensive display.

"Very well, Ruler. How will this work?"

Ruler looked at him and asked, "Did the Grail not implant you with the knowledge of the events of the Holy Grail War?"

Te'ran leaned on a wall, keeping a close watch on Ruler, "Of course. Despite that, I want to hear it from you. Put it into perspective for me."

"Well, allow me to explain. You are a Saber servant that has been summoned to compete in what is known as the Holy Grail War. Your task is to aid your master and her allies in defeating the servants of the opposite team. The winning team wins the opportunity of having their most deepest, most precious wish granted by the Grail itself."

"A wish granted by the Grail?" Te'ran asked, interested in the prospect.

"Whatever it is that you most desire, it will grant."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Saya looked at Ruler and asked, "Do all of us get a wish?"

"Yes. Though, do not expect all of your teammates or even yourself to survive. Last time a Holy Grail War that involved teams occured, only one master and servant received their wish."

"Who won the last Holy Grail War and what did they wish for?"

Ruler raised a hand, motioning her to stop, "Forgive me, but I am not allowed to reveal that information. For now, I am needed elsewhere. Other servants are being summoned as we speak. So I will leave you to your own business. We will see each other once more. Safe travels and luck be with you."

Ruler reached into his robe and took out a grimoire. He opened it to a page and extended a hand, opening up what appeared to be a gateway. The gates opened to reveal a deep, swirling, crimson void, which Ruler vanished within as the gates closed behind him and vanished.

The room was still after Ruler had left, leaving the occupants to look at one another awkwardly. Te'ran got off the wall and looked outside the window. He looked at the city that was in the distance, appearing entranced by the amount of lights and the tall structures that composed the city.

Saya walked over and asked, "Curious about our modern cities?"

Te'ran nodded his head, "The Grail implants information about the modern world into our minds. However, seeing it with my own eyes is a completely different experience. This really isn't the world I left behind."

Footsteps sounded behind the two and they turned to see Saya's grandmother smiling at them, "Good! You summoned a very strong looking servant. However, his name and style does not remind me of any mythology or historical period I am aware of."

"My home is long gone and will never return. I was there during its fall. My home was named Noram. It was an island nation, where the old world spirits could live without persecution. That was until it was razed by demons. I died fighting them, but their leader managed to cut me down. I failed my home, my people, and the princess I swore to protect. I didn't watch her die, but I'm certain she had died. But that's in the past now. I have a new purpose and I will try to complete it as best as I can. I failed my last ward, but I will not fail this time."

Saya's grandmother took one of his hands and held it, "I'm glad to hear it. That's all I could ask of you. I'm sorry about what happened to you and I'm sorry that you were given life once more to just put it on the line again."

"When you're a knight, your life is always on the line. I'm used to it, madam. Besides, it might be fun to fight strong opponents once more."

Saya smiled and said, "Then let's get some rest. For tomorrow, we're off to England to meet up with our allies. I just hope that they're friendly enough and won't stab us in the back at the first opportunity."

**Peter**

Pain. Pain flowing everywhere in his body. Pain was one of the few things Peter could feel at this point. Russia sure was hard on those that commit crimes within her borders. Peter looked around, seeing nothing but cold black stone, no windows, and a crude bed for him to use. The only source of light he could see being through the bars of his cells, originating from a large opening in the ceiling in the courtyard. At least they were nice enough to set up a bed for him, he would joke to himself. If this is how they treat their murders, he wondered how they treat offenders of other crimes.

He would chuckle to himself, remembering what had landed him in this blasted gulag. He remembered all those people he had killed and all the people he wished he could have killed. If that little girl didn't get away, he would have been free right now. Next time he was out, he would make sure there were no witnesses.

Sighing, Peter stood up from the ground that he sat on, no longer feeling the cold stone beneath him, but could still feel the cold chill of the Siberian tundra. He walked over to a wall and could see a summoning circle that he had painstakingly drawn. Each time he would be beaten by the guards was a chance for him to work on the circle, as his blood made for a great substitute for chalk.

He heard someone walking down the hallway of the prison and heard them stop. A frail old voice then asked, "Peter, are you alright, son? I heard the guards dragged you to the beating room."

Peter laughed and turned, seeing an old and frail man. He was lankey, but still had all the white hairs on his head, which were long from never being cut within the walls of the prison. Old Andrei, as Peter and many other prisoners have come to call him, was considered the father figure of many of the prisoners. For the last few years Andrei was a constant source of companionship and kindness. It was hard to believe that he was once a murderer as well, being sent there by communist regime after killing a fellow soldier. His sentence was to rot in the gulag and be forgotten by the outside world.

Peter walked over to the bars, looking at the old man in the eyes, "Yeah. One last beating before they put a bullet in my head, courtesy of Putin and his dogs."

At this Andrei was shocked and surprised, holding onto the bars, matching Peter, "They're executing you? I was under the impression that Russia no longer did that."

"This is Siberia. Russia sends us here so that the world doesn't find out their dirty little secrets. Here, we're forgotten and are nothing more than playthings for former Soviet psychopaths. And they call us the monsters." He sighed and looked around, "I've been here for four years. They like taking their time to kill their prey. Even Stalin killed someone the moment they slighted him."

"No need to remind me. I remember the bastard." There was a silence between the two of them for a moment before Andrei asked, "So what are you going to do now?"

Peter shrugged, huffing, "No idea. However, I don't plan to die."

Andrei pointed to the far wall, "What's that symbol you have there?"

"Just something my old man used to teach me. They call it a summoning circle, but I just used to love drawing them."

"Sounds like witchcraft to me."

"In a sense, it is. My father and mother were mystics and they taught us the craft. I'm no mystic, but I do somewhat believe in the power of their words."

Andrei reached into his pocket and took out a rosary, gripping it in his hands, "This is what I believe. It's kept me going all this time. Reminds me to be good and atone for the sins I committed. If you don't mind, I'd like to pray with you, before you are killed. At least give you some blessing, if I could."

Peter reached through the bars and held onto the hands that clutched the rosary, "Pray for me, but I won't pray. I'm doomed either way. If there is a god, he should have killed me a long time ago. Would have stopped me from making appointments to see him for all those people I slaughtered."

"You want to die with all those regrets."

Peter chuckled, "I regret nothing. Remember, I'm here for a reason. Murder was my vice." He reached into his shirt and took out a medallion, "This is all I have left from my freedom. My father gave me this before he died." He walked over to the wall and placed the necklace on a nail that was sticking from the wall, having it hang in front of the summoning circle. "Might as well leave it here. It's wasted on me."

A loud series of clanks sounded nearby and the sound of boots making their way down the hall caught both mens' attention. Andrei looked over and said, "Here they come."

Peter smirked, "Then I guess my time is up." He walked over to Andrei and placed his hands on the old man's shoulders, "It's been an honor knowing you, my friend."

Andrei did the same, placing his hands on the young man's shoulders, "Same. I will pray for you. You don't feel as if it's worth it, but I know God can forgive you."

"You just remember to tell God that he is going to receive a rude visit. Let him know to beef up his security."

The guards arrived to see both men speaking to each other. One of the guards walked over to Andrei and violently shoved him out of the way, "Piss off, old dog! This dog here is being put down. I hope you said your goodbyes."

The other guard opened the door and grabbed Peter, viciously punching him in the abdomen and throwing him to the ground. They began to pick him on the ground and soon had him in shackles, as Peter groaned on the ground and bled on the blackened concrete.

"Please stop! He's going to die anyways. At least be kind to him before he dies. For God sakes! Please!" Andrei pleaded, trying to appeal to reason.

One guard, clearly annoyed, stopped his beating and walked over to Andrei, "Why don't you just go and die, old dog? His life means nothing here. Just like yours. The only reason we don't have you caged like an animal is because you're too weak to do anything. Go make friends with someone else."

Andrei took a deep breath and said calmly, "Perhaps, but he's still human. At least treat him like one."

The guard glared at Andrei and drove his fist across the old man's face, sending him to the ground. He kicked him for a few moments, leaving Andrei a groaning, bloody heap on the ground. The guard walked over to Peter and, with his comrade, dragged him away, leaving a line of blood on the ground and leaving Andrei reaching for Peter, as he squirmed from the pain.

Peter's vision was blurry as he opened his eyes once more. His head and stomach were in a great deal of pain and he could make out the shape of both guards dragging him by his arms. He relaxed and could see that they had taken him to a large metal chamber with no discernable features. The guards turned and walked out of the chamber, leaving only a man in military garb to walk in, holding a pistol in his hands.

Peter chuckled and said, "I'm guessing you're here to wish me a kind farewell. Hopefully kinder than the farewell of your friends. Cunts, all of them. Not like I'll miss them, but they sure did leave an impression."

The man walked over and said, "I hear you like to run your mouth."

"Maybe a little. It's more fun that being quiet."

"Kneel and turn around. This will be fast. You won't feel a thing. This death is too good for you. You deserve a more painful death for what you did to all those people."

Peter shakily got to his knees and turned from the man, "I know I do. Do you mind if I make one last request?"

The man walked over and placed the barrel of the pistol to the back of Peter's head, "What would that be?"

"Just give me a minute to pray. After that, paint this chamber red,...comrade."

The man considered this for a moment and replied, "Very well. Pray, beg for forgiveness, and make sure you're at peace with God. Not like you're going to live with the guy. I'm sending you to hell."

Peter chuckled once more and began to say in a whispered tone, "Shadow of pestilence. The curse that ends dynasties. Heed my call. Grip this land with darkness and bring death to its people. Join me in slaughter and power. A deathless curse and ceaseless hex. Come to me and claim what is yours."

An explosion suddenly shook the facility, causing all within to stumble from the vibrations and the deafening noise. Peter grinned from ear to ear and launched himself backwards, sending the man and himself to the ground. Peter used the shackles on his arms and bashed the man's arm, forcing him to let go of the pistol. He rolled over the pistol, picking it up as he got to his feet. The man was fast, however, and tackled Peter onto the wall, grabbing onto the gun as the two struggled for the weapon.

Peter groaned as the man kept fighting for the gun, being unable to rip it away from him. Peter began to headbutt the man, dazing him, but the man refused to let go and began to punch him. Each blow sent further pain through Peter's abdomen, making him let go of the pistol. Peter noticed this and quickly bit down on the man's ear, stopping him from reaching for the gun. With a pull and a blood curdling scream from the man, Peter managed to rip the ear off the side of the man's head.

Peter spat out the ear and kneed the man in the abdomen. He quickly got behind the man and wrapped the shackles around his throat, beginning to pull with all his strength. He dropped to the floor, taking the man down with him, keeping the advantage over the man.

"Isn't this fun!? Fighting for your life is the purest form of combat! Those that fight are the most fun of game!" Peter yelled out at the asphyxiating man on top of him. "Goodbye!"

With one powerful pull, Peter heard a sickening crack as the man fell limp on top of him. Peter pushed him off and grabbed the pistol that was on the ground. He looked at his hands, seeing that some blood had fallen on his right hand. He turned it over and saw symbol on his hand, which looked like a star with various other shapes coming off of it. His inspection was ended, when he heard the doors to the chamber open. He turned around and began to fire at the now opened door, hitting the guards that attempted to get in.

Laughing, Peter straightened his coat and walked over to the now opened door. He looked down at the guards he managed to gun down, seeing that both were the guards that had beaten and dragged him to the chamber. One was dead and the other was reaching for him, gasping for air, as there was a bullet wound in his throat. Peter smiled down at him and knelt down, reaching into his pockets and taking out a key.

"You know, I might actually miss you. This look of fear on your face. It's really satisfying to see it. You want to know why I kill? It's because I love seeing the fear on the faces of my victims. They show their true face." He used the key to unlock his shackles and rubbed his wrists, "Well, it's about time for me to leave. Say hello to the devil for me. Dosvedanya!"

Peter walked off, leaving the guard reaching for him. Peter looked back, seeing this scene and remembered seeing a similar position, which the guards had left Andrei in. Scoffing, he turned and shot once at the guard, who slumped to the guard, dead.

Another series of explosions rang out through the facility, causing Peter to stumble for a moment, wondering what was happening. He made his way down a hallway, until he could see the main housing chamber of the prison. Walking into the chamber, he could see various guards dead on the ground or hanging off walls. On the main floor, he saw a sea of dead guards and prisoners. He could see what appeared to be humanoid shadows standing over corpses, stabbing and killing still living victims.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned, pointing the pistol at whomever it could be, but he saw nothing but a darkened hallway. The darkness was not uniform with the usual darkness of the prison. This darkness was somewhat different, as if it did not belong there and wasn't caused by the night. He saw the darkness crawling towards him, forcing him to begin backing up. He was backed up until his back was against a wall. He pointed his pistol at the darkness and waited to see what would happen.

Peter called out, "Whatever you are! Show me!"

A chuckle and then a low cackle came from the darkness as a man's head began to form from the darkness and then a body. The darkness began to fade, leaving a tall man standing before Peter. His hair was a pitch black, unkempt mess, with a similarly long beard on his chin. His eyes were wild and sunken into the skull. The last thing he noticed was a black robe, which covered his entire body, appearing almost like a priest's habit.

The man grinned from ear to ear, "From the command seals on your hand, I see that you must be my master."

"Who are you?"

The man mocked a bow and said, "My name is Grigori. Grigori Rasputin. I am the Caster class servant who has heeded your call."

"So the crap my father taught me was true?"

"I would assume so. I have already taken the liberty of killing anything and anyone who could get in our path. All that's left is for us to leave. I'll explain everything when we're away from here." He snapped his fingers and the shadow figures vanished.

Peter looked out and came to a horrifying realization, "You wouldn't have happen to see an old man, would you?"

"An old man." Rasputin stroked his beard in thought before confirming, "Yes. I remember one being in the cell where I was summoned. He was sitting on the bed when I materialized. He wasn't my master, so I saw no reason to have him live."

Peter appeared horrified as he shot into a sprint, making his way to the cell that once housed him. The cell was open and he dashed inside, seeing a bloody body on the bed, still breathing.

Peter rushed to Andrei's side, taking his hand into his, "Andrei, it's me." He saw Andrei attempt to reach for him, but he stopped him and said, "Don't move. Let me help...umm...damn it!" He turned and saw Rasputin materializing at the threshold of the cell doors, "Can you heal him?"

Rasputin looked at the dying Andrei and said, "He's too badly injured for me to heal. The best you can do is take that pistol and put him out of his misery. Now hurry up! Let's leave before more of those guards show up. Then again, I wouldn't mind killing them as well." He said laughing to himself.

Peter looked down at Andrei, seeing him losing strength, "I'm so sorry. If I had known that this would have happened…" He felt Andrei rip his hand away and saw him reaching into his pocket, pulling out the rosary. He placed it in Peter's hand and gave him a saddened look.

Andrei then said, "Find...forgiveness...in yourself."

Peter looked down at the rosary and nodded. He placed his forehead onto Andrei's and said, "I'm sorry. Be free." He placed the pistol on Andrei's chest, over his heart, and fired a round into it, killing the old man. He raised his head, having Andrei's blood stain his own forehead. He folding Andrei's hands over his chest and closed his eyes.

Rasputin sighed and asked, "Are you done?"

A voice followed, "I sure hope so. You two have already caused too much damage here."

They turned, seeing Ruler leaning on the railing outside the cell. Rasputin reached his hand and a series of shadow figures materialized around Ruler. Ruler sighed and snapped his fingers, filling the room full of a vibrant light, destroying the shadow figures and stunning Rasputin.

Ruler then said, "I am not here to fight you. I came to come get you."

Peter rubbed his eyes and asked, "Come get me?"

"You are expected in Germany. You have been inducted into one of the teams that will battle in the new Holy Grail War."

"So all of the crap my family told me was not just smoke up my ass? This is real?"

"Yes."

Peter thought for a moment and asked, "So if I participate, I have the chance to have a wish granted?"

Ruler nodded, "Yes. You seem to know what the Holy Grail War entails already. That'll make it easier for me." He took out his grimoire and opened a gate, "Now go! Leave this place and meet with your new host. Also, make sure to behave."

Peter looked at the gate and began to walk forward. He stopped and looked back at the corpse of Andrei for a moment, before stepping within the gate with his servant, vanishing as it closed behind him.

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**That was probably one of the most violent things I have ever written. I had a lot of fun writing this story and the ideas I have. The research to just write two teams worth of servants took me ages and I hope I don't mess up some information for you guys. I want to keep this characters as close to their historical or mythological counterparts as I can. Whatever the case, I hope you guys enjoyed this introduction to the first two servants and their masters. I will attempt to update as soon as I can, but some of you know that I have another story that I work on that needs to be updated soon. So I will see you all some other time. Ciao!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, I finally got this one out. I really like the ideas I have for this story and intend to make this story one of my main stories on this site. I had to do months of research to get a lot of the servants in this story, even the ones I made up. So I hope you guys like it. This is a work in progress and will most likely go back on the chapters and change them when they need to be fixed, if I find errors or I have a change in ideas. Just make sure to give me feedback as I welcome it and want to write the best story I can. Thanks guys!**

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"So tell me, what is your true identity?" Asked a young but dapper man, who sat behind a large ornate wooden desk. Around him, many men, as well dressed as he was, stood around his desk as he spoke to the woman that sat across from him.

The woman looked up at the man, moving a strand of her long hair away from her face. She looked at the men and then back at the one that spoke to her. She smiled and replied, "Inoe. Inoe Haruka is my given name by my mistress.."

"Do you realize how hard it is to find anything about you in history? Your name is very common in Japanese society. Is that really your name?"

"That is the name I had in my service."

"Any titles?"

"I was once known as the Iron Blossom."

"I'll have someone look into that. Forgive me for all the questions I have thrown at you within the last day. It's just that...well, I was not expecting to summon you for the Holy Grail War. I saw the pommel from the museum and assumed that it was the catalyst for…"

"Gozen Tomoe?" Haruka asked, interrupting him.

"Yes. With all due respect, I was hoping to have her as my Saber servant."

Haruka sighed and shook her head, "Then I will apologize for not being Lady Gozen. I was once one of her trusted retainers. She taught me the ways of the sword when I was a young girl and helped me refine them. She is the one that gave me the name of Haruka."

The man sat up and sighed in relief, "Now we're getting somewhere. What was your birth name?"

"Inoe Ai. I was the daughter of a fisherman in the Musashi Province. During the time that my mistress began to instruct me, the emperor was the newly crowned Emperor Antoku. I hope that aids you."

The man turned to one of his lackeys and ordered him out to look up the information that Haruka had said to him. The man stood and ordered, "Everyone leave. I wish to speak to my servant alone."

The suited men quickly bowed to their leader and walked out of the room, leaving the two alone and in silence. The man stood from his seat, adjusting his suit before addressing Haruka, "I am Sado Sora. I will be your master.."

"This much the Grail has told me. It has also told me other things about you. You're involved with crime, or am I wrong?"

Sora sighed and sat back down, "I am part of the yakuza, yes. Let it be known, however, that I am not like my…"compatriots". I try to keep all my business legitimate."

"Because of our current situation, I'm going to leave my questions to a minimum. As long as you do nothing to disregard honor, I'll cooperate with you."

"Good. That works with me. Now, we should prepare to travel. We have to catch a plane to Germany. The Ruler servant that was summoned by the Grail wants us there as soon as possible."

"The Grail taught me what a plane is. Needless to say, I'm fascinated but not thrilled to be in that metal bird." Haruka groaned.

"You'll get used to it...probably." Sado commented, trying to hold in a chuckle as to not embarrass her.

Haruka stood from her seat and walked over to one of the large windows. She was in a very tall building in the center of an enormous and luminescent city. She took in the sight and processed the visual, "Are we really in Edo? This looks nothing like it was all those centuries ago."

Sado stood, walking next to her, looking outside at Tokyo, his home. To him, this was the reality he had always known, but he had not considered that she came from a time when the city was not a sprawling metropolis. All of this must have been overwhelming to process.

"Yes, this is what was once called Edo. We now know it as Tokyo. It is the capital of Japan now." Sado replied, trying to explain the issue to her as plainly as possible.

"What happened to Kyoto? What happened to the emperor?" Haruka asked, appearing worried.

"Kyoto still stands as the imperial capital. However, that's more of a traditional thing than anything else. The emperor still sits on the throne, but his position is more ceremonial than actually political. The emperor no longer holds power and there is no shogunate in power either. We work off of a system called democracy, where our leader is voted in by the masses and is named the prime minister."

"I see...I guess time really does change the world. I would also guess that the samurai are no longer a thing either?"

"No. At least, not in the way you remember. We yakuza like to think of ourselves as the continuation of the samurai, but...well, I think you already know."

"Yes."

Sado walked back to the desk, reaching over to a set of cups and a traditional pitcher, and poured sake into two cups, figuring that she would want it to calm her racing mind. He took one cup and walked back to Haruka, offering her the cup.

Haruka looked at the cup and asked, "Sake?"

"Yes. Best brand there is. Might help you relax."

Haruka took the cup, continuing to look at it for a moment. She took a deep breath and drank the contents in a single gulp. She then recoiled for a moment and coughed at the burning sensation.

Sado noticed this and asked, "Have you never had a drink of alcohol before?"

"No. Lady Tomoe never let me. Needless to say, I didn't like the burn."

"Then you should probably not drink this again...unless you want to gain a tolerance."

"I would rather not. As a servant, it would be bad to be impared in battle. I'll just count this as my one time taking a drink."

Sado nodded and drank his own drink with little issue. He placed the cup down and said, "We should probably start leaving. The plane is being prepared and I would rather get to Germany as soon as possible."

"I get that this place is far, but is it necessary to fly in that metal bird?"

"It's the fastest way there."

Haruka groaned for a moment and then relented, "Alright, I guess it'll be a new experience."

"You're a servant, you'll be fine." He said as he began to walk away.

Haruka followed, saying, "Just because I'm a servant doesn't mean that I can't be uncomfortable."

[England]

The streets of London were filled with a variable multitude of people going about their daily lives. Cars and trucks drove up and down the road and the populace setting out to complete their errands of the day. Among them, Saya and Te'ran walked among the crowd. Te'ran, now donning a red dress shirt and black dress pants, as opposed to his traditional armor, looked around at the sea of people and appeared both amazed and concerned.

Saya noticed this and said, "You're very quiet, Saber. Something on your mind?"

"Please, just call me Te'ran. To answer your question, I've never seen so many people and contraptions in one place. What is this place?"

"This is London, the capital city of the kingdom of England and the United Kingdom. I've been many times. I used to study at the Clock Tower of the Mages' Association. Long years of study, but necessary. I graduated two years ago."

"If you don't mind me asking, just how old are you? I hope it's not too rude in your society."

Saya shook her head, "It's fine. Usually some people see it as offensive, but I could care less. I am twenty years old. I've been back in Japan for two years now and I spent ten years of my life here in England. So don't worry too much about me being able to communicate here. I am fluent in English."

"Languages are imparted to me by the Grail. However, I supposedly had an affinity for the languages of the lands here."

"Because it's written in your soul. Your home was a sister island to the British Isles before they became what they are today. So you naturally have a mystical affinity to them. So I'm sure the Grail took that into account."

"Perhaps." He looked up and mentioned, "Does the sun ever come out here?"

Saya burst into laughter, surprising Te'ran. She composed herself quickly and said, "Occasionally it does. Don't pay it too much mind. At least you saw the sun on the plane."

"I have one more question. You see, the Grail imparts us with knowledge, but only relevant knowledge. So I know nothing of this land. Tell me, what was this land's ancient name? Perhaps I have some memory of it."

Saya thought for a moment, going through all the information she had learned at the Tower, "Well,...this land is ancient. It was known as a land of magic and fae at some point. I believe this island was known as Albion in its ancient tongue."

Te'ran was shocked and replied, "This is Albion! I gotta say, I preferred it as a forest."

"So you've been here?"

"I've travelled here from time to time. Mostly for military reasons. My people once fought a war against Albion, but since that war they had a form of camaraderie with one another. When I was born the war was just a series of stories and legends. I only came here to meet with leaders of here and battle some battles against ancient evils. Back then, fae still ruled this land. I even received the honor of visiting Tír na nÓg."

Saya smiled at his reminiscing, but had to tell him, "Look, I know you have a lot of stories and I want to hear about all of it, but we have to rush to hurry to the Clock Tower. That's where we're going to be picked up and taken to our destination. So…" She waved her hand out into the street, confusing Tehran, but then he noticed a car approach and stop next to them. Saya smiled at his confusion and said, "This is a cab or taxi. It's a vehicle that we wave down and the driver takes us to our destination...for a fee. Get in. We're burning daylight."

Te'ran obeyed and crawled into the cab, sitting down and looking around at the interior. Saya sat down next to him and said, "Can you take us to the Tower of London, please?"

The driver nodded an affirmation and drove off.

[The Clock Tower]

A young lady in a black dress sat across a desk from an elderly man with long white hair. The man was smoking a cigarette and appeared to be in deep thought. He soon blew out the smoke from his lungs and addressed the woman, "Elizabeth, let us be clear on something. Whatever you do, try to stay out of danger. I know this is a Holy Grail War, but I'd hate to lose a valued disciple."

Elizabeth smiled and replied, "It's alright. You trained me well for this war, Lord El-Melloi. By the way, you're ancient. Maybe quit smoking."

"I don't intend to live forever."

"You're pushing a hundred. I'm starting to think you are trying to live forever."

Lord El-Melloi couldn't help but chuckle at the statement. He put out the cigarette on an ashtray and said, "Ever the wiley one." He soon grew serious, "I must advise you one more thing. That servant of yours, keep her in check. You summoned a powerful being, but also a being of jumping alignments. She's dangerous, if her legends are to be believed."

"You're speaking of Caster, correct?"

"None other."

A female's laugh could be heard as a black mass materialized on the chair next to Elizabeth. The being took the form of a beautiful woman with long, wild brown hair tinted with some white. She wore a patchy grey dress and donned a constant smirk on her face. She looked at Lord El-Melloi and said, "Aww! Someone thinks I'm dangerous."

Lord El-Melloi made sure to look her in the eyes and said, "As much says your legends, Baby Yaga. I hope you'll forgive me for asking you this, I mean no disrespect; however, your legends state you to be horrifically unpleasant to the eyes."

Baba Yaga let out a giggle and asked, "What? Do you find me ravishing?"

"I will not feed your ego. The point stands that you must remember to whom your loyalties lay."

Baba Yaga pulled Elizabeth into an embrace, nearly pulling her off her seat and almost suffocating her into her bosom, "To my dear little master, of course. Don't worry; I'm not going to eat her. Or do you believe in my legends?"

"I don't know what to believe about you. I just know that your aura is suffocatingly oppressive."

Baba Yaga sighed and let go of Elizabeth, "That's just my mana. I can't help that I'm intimidating. Just ask every man I've ever dated. I know you have reservations about letting your disciple be a master during this Holy Grail War, but you have my word that I will protect her to the best of my abilities."

"I'm not so worried about her. She's a capable mage that's been well trained for this moment. Besides, she has those command seals on her hand that can bring you to heel if need be."

"I am well aware. I'm promising to behave. Please stop with antagonism. I've gotten enough of that over the centuries. My goal is to help my master and her allies win this Holy Grail War. Now, will you allow me to ask my own questions?"

Lord El-Melloi considered her question and then nodded, "Very well. I will answer to the best of my abilities if it were to help you."

"Thank you. Firstly, what rules do we have to follow in the "war", so to speak?"

"The rules of the Holy Grail War are pretty simple and the Grail should have told you of your purpose. To be safe, let me explain. Firstly, you will be fighting in two teams. You, your master, and six other servants and masters have been designated as Team Silver and you will be facing another team of seven servants and masters designated as Team Gold. You need to fight and kill all seven servants to win. However, this is not necessary, but killing the masters is also a way to win this war. I would discourage you from doing so, but if the need arises for you to do so, do not hesitate. If you do need to kill a master, I would appreciate it if you didn't use guns, deception, or a heavy amount of collateral damage. Blowing up populated buildings is a good example."

"Why?"

Lord El-Melloi was silent for a moment, as if reliving a memory, and then said, "Reasons. Very...Emiya...reasons."

Baba Yaga looked at Elizabeth, as if silently asking what he meant, but let it go, "I see. Well, another question. When we win, how do we know who gets the wish? There's seven pairs of us."

"Believe me; by the end of it, most of you servants will be dead and maybe some masters. If more of you are alive, then either you will all get a wish or one will be chosen."

"What were the results of the previous Holy Grail War?"

"One master and one servant survived the entire thing."

Baba Yaga hissed in shock and let out an audible exhale through her teeth, "Yikes! It's that intense?"

"Extremely."

Baba Yaga again flashed a toothy grin and pulled Elizabeth into another suffocating embrace, stroking her long blonde hair, "Then I should do all I can to protect my master. Mostly to win, but also because she is just adorable. I could just eat her up." She looked down at the girl, hearing her screaming into her chest as she tried to pry herself free from her bosom, "I won't actually eat her...but my breast might kill her if I'm not careful."

She let Elizabeth go, who released an audible gasp for air, "You...need to...hug me a different...way."

"But it's my way of showing affection."

Lord El-Melloi asked, "Are you out of questions?"

"Yes. That's all I've wanted to know. I'll figure out the rest later." She quickly perked up and looked behind her. Again, her smile draped over her face and she giggled, "I think a friend of ours is arriving. A Saber servant, to be exact."

Elizabeth quickly stood and said, "That has to be Saya and her servant. She told me that she summoned a Saber servant. Let's go see them." Baba Yaga quickly caught her arm, confusing Elizabeth, "What's wrong?"

"How about I go welcome them to England? I want to test out that Saber."

"Yaga, that is not a good idea."

"Don't care! Doing it anyways!"

Baba Yaga quickly morphed into the form of a murder of ravens and flew out of the window, materializing on a nearby ceiling. She walked over to the edge and looked down at the courtyard of the Tower, wondering where her new targets were located. She closed her eyes and opened them, to reveal them glowing purple. The new scene before her showed the world in a purple haze and two magical signatures among the large number of people that were walking around. "Found you, my lovelies."

[Saya and Te'ran]

Tehran was looking around, admiring the structure that was the Clock Tower. He looked at the architecture and the great deal of people around.

Saya explained, "This is where I studied. This part of the Clock Tower is the tourist area, while there's a secret area that we students had to take to avoid the normal people and study in peace. During the war, we are to avoid population centers and minimize collateral damage. Usually, we would have you servants hiding your presence so that others can't see you, but why make it boring for you? You're not in armor and you're not wielding your sword, so you shouldn't draw too much attention."

He quickly grabbed Saya and pulled her close, "Wait…"

Saya blushed for a moment and asked, "Any particular reason you're holding me so close?"

"I smell a servant."

Saya sighed and said, "No need to be worried. If they're an enemy, they would not attack us with so many people around. If they are a friend, then they are most likely my friend's servant. She summoned a Caster class servant."

"Is there any way to actually fight among crowds?"

"Not unless you or the servant know how to create a temporal distortion. If you can temporarily create a mini pocket reality to fight in, you won't be able to. The Magus Association forbids fighting around normal people unless you can do that."

There was suddenly a shimmer in the air around Saya and Te'ran and they noticed everyone in the area around them stop in time, while a magical aura covered everything in sight.

Te'ran asked, while materializing his armor and sword, "Like this?"

Saya groaned, "Yeah, like that."

They heard Baba Yaga's voice say sultrily, "Hello, my darlings!" The two looked and saw a murder of ravens come together and form into Baba Yaga, "We knew you were coming and I'm here as the welcome wagon."

"As a friend or foe?" Saya asked, reaching for something on the back of her dress.

"As a friend, of course! However, there's nothing that says I can't have some fun with your servant."

"In what way?"

Baba Yaga took a moment to think, placing a finger over her lips in thought, "I'm not sure now that I have options. He is quite handsome. I wouldn't mind bedding him."

Te'ran groaned, "No offense. You're pretty, but I'm not interested."

"I figured. Still, I'm here to fight."

"And if I say "no"?"

"Do I look like I care?"

Baba Yaga quickly summoned a staff composed of a large spine and skull and fired off a bolt of black lightning. Te'ran quickly picked up Saya and jumped out of the way, placing her on a roof. "Stay here!" He commanded.

Te'ran turned and shot back down, swinging his blade at Baba Yaga. With a raise of her staff, a barrier materialized that blocked the blow and knocked Te'ran back. Te'ran landed on his feet and rushed over to Baba Yaga, once again swinging his sword at her. Baba Yaga laughed in amusement and used her staff to block the attack.

She looked at his sword and counted all ten runes that decorated the blade. "I see. You possess a run blade. Now, as an ally, would you mind telling me how it works?"

Te'ran, while trying to overpower the surprisingly strong Caster servant, replied, "Friend? You attacked us, you she-devil!"

"Now that's not nice!" Baba Yaga replied, giggling, "I'm just having fun. It's been a while since I had a good fight!"

"Wait until we face the other team!"

"Why? You're here."

Te'ran groaned and jumped back. He raised his sword and one of the ten runes began to glow green. Baba Yaga noticed this and tested him by firing another bolt of shadow. Te'ran vanished in a dash, escaping her sight and avoiding the attack. Baba Yaga looked around, trying to sense his presence. She turned around and looked up, seeing him coming down towards her. She raised her staff and blocked the attack, noticing the difference in power from where he was before to now. Te'ran quickly landed on the ground, spun around, and kicked her back.

Baba Yaga skid on the ground, stopping soon after. She patted herself down and said, "I think I figured it out. Stupidly easily, mind you. Each rune increases your power by a percentile. Since you have ten, I would guess each one represents a tenth of your full power. Now I want to know what you're like at full power. That kick didn't even hurt me."

Te'ran growled at her with frustration, "Okay, I'll admit that maybe that was too simple. Although, there is far more to me and this sword than just a power bank. As for you…" He stopped, wondering what information he had gathered in the short clashes, "...Actually, I know nothing about you."

Baba Yaga feinted an insulted huff, "Well I never! You don't know me? The most powerful and famous witch to ever exist in this rock you call Earth? A fiend whose name strikes fear in the hearts of men, women, and children alike?"

"Lady, I've been dead for millenia. Whatever world you lived in, I certainly have never been privy to."

"Well, I guess I should teach you who I am...through pain!"

She once again fired a bolt of shadow and vanished, reappearing in the air quickly firing multiple orbs of shadow towards him from above. Te'ran jumped to the side to avoid the bolt and began to slash at the orbs. He slashed through the last one and ran, using the moment to jump into the air. His blade began to become covered in a thick layer of pulsating air, which he launched with a slash, sending a blade of wind towards Baba Yaga.

Lifting her staff, Baba Yaga again created a barrier to attempt to block the blade of air. The blade hit the barrier and it quickly shattered, but also dissipated. Baba Yaga smirked again and leaned back to avoid a sudden stab from Te'ran. She bashed the sword to the side and floated back to the ground. Te'ran did the same and landed on the ground, waiting to see what she would do next.

Baba Yaga began to laugh loudly and clapped her hands, "Impressive! You DO have more tricks up your sleeves. Yes, I can see you being useful in this war. I'm very curious to see what you can do the more to activate those runes."

Te'ran relaxed a little and said, "I hope I never have to activate all of them. Especially to fight you or any of our allies."

"You would do well to be wary of me. I'm known for being devious...but fair."

Te'ran nodded and noticed a figure appearing behind Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga turned her head and was suddenly punched in the face by Saya, wearing an odd pair of gloves with iron knuckles. Baba Yaga stumbled forward and checked to see if she was bleeding.

She looked back at Saya and saw her body covered in glowing markings. "You reinforced your body to be able to hit me?"

Saya yelled at her, "THIS ISN'T THE PLACE TO BE FIGHTING, YOU IDIOTS!?"

A hand pat Saya on the shoulder, causing her to turn to see Elizabeth, "My thoughts exactly. Caster, get rid of the temporal distortion. You and I need to have a serious talk."

Baba Yaga asked, "How can you move in the distortion?"

"I'm your master. If you can move in a distortion, I can move as well. Now get rid of it!"

Baba Yaga sighed with disappointment, "It was finally getting good. Fine!" She tapped her staff onto the ground and the world around them returned to normal, with no one else being any wiser to what had just occurred.

Te'ran quickly shifted into his casual wear and looked around, trying to find Baba Yaga. He looked at Elizabeth and saw a raven sitting on her shoulder, sticking its tongue out at him. He growled, realizing that it was her and that she was still taunting him.

Elizabeth rubbed her temple and sighed. She turned and said to Saya, "I'm so sorry about that. Caster is a bit impulsive when she gets bored."

Saya removed her gloves and dispelled the reinforcement on her body, "It's okay." She then suddenly lunged forward and hugged Elizabeth, "Lizzie! It's been so long! It's so good to see you again!"

Elizabeth hugged her back, "Likewise, old friend." The two separated and Elizabeth looked at Te'ran, "This is your Saber servant?"

"Yeah. Are we hiding our servant identities or are we being open with one another?"

"If we're working together, I want us to have trust with each other. Besides, I have no reason to be wary of you. My servant is…"

"Baba Yaga." Saya interrupted.

"What?" Elizabeth asked, surprised.

"I figured it out when she was talking about herself. Baba Yaga, the most infamous witch in European history. Still, the legends state that she was ugly."

Baba Yaga, in raven form, flew over to Saya's head and began to peck her head. Saya swiped at the raven until Baba Yaga flew back to Elizabeth's shoulder.

Elizabeth apologized again, "I am so sorry again! She hates being reminded of how people have twisted her legend to antagonize her."

Baba Yaga spoke through the raven, "I am no hideous monster! I'm not the wife of the devil, I'm not a cannibal, I'm not in league with hell, and I do not kidnap children! Why have humans decided to make me out to be so horrible?"

"It does worry me. Usually, servants can be affected by their legends when they are summoned. So I'm worried that some of those qualities might have attached themselves to you."

"I'll try to make sure that I do not fall under such influences."

Te'ran asked, "There wouldn't be any legends of me going around, would there?"

Saya replied, "Your civilization has been lost for millenia and nothing about you or your people remains. There are no legends to twist about you."

"I can't help but feel both relieved and saddened by that."

"I'll try to look up some information to confirm or to see if something still exists."

Elizabeth cleared her throat, "I don't mean to interrupt, but we should probably go apologize to Lord El-Melloi before he gets more angry than I know he is at this current moment."

"He's still alive!?" Saya asked, completely surprised as she had figured the old man would have been dead a long time ago.

"Alive, well, and healthy."

"And he's still calling himself Lord El-Melloi? Wasn't he doing that as a favor to the El-Melloi family?"

"Well, it's stuck to him now. Now let's go."

An old man's voice called out, "Don't bother."

The two girls and their servants turned to see Lord El-Melloi walking towards him, appearing not too happy with them.

Saya tried to keep things jovial and greeted him, "Lord El-Melloi! It's great to see you! I see that you're doing well."

Lord El-Melloi walked up to her and chopped her head with his hand, causing an audible yelp to escape her lips at the pain and the shock of the act. He then walked over to Elizabeth and did the same to her, "Imbeciles, the both of you!"

Elizabeth and Saya held in whimpers as Elizabeth replied, "Lord El-Melloi, people are staring."

"Good! Let this be a lesson to both of you. A little bit of humiliation will do you two some good." He lowered his voice and said quietly, "Keep your servants under control. There are to be no battles in public areas that are this crowded. I don't care if either of you possess temporal distortions." He looked at Saya and said, "I see little Miss Gem Assassin has returned home."

Saya groaned, "Don't call me that. I'm just a gem magus."

"Your entire family scares me. Anyways, it's good to see two of my students return to the Clock Tower. However, you should go to your base of operations before nightfall."

"Because one of your allies is extremely dangerous at night. Your team's Berserker class servant."

"And who might that be?"

"Ask your allies when you get there. I'm not at liberty to give you that information." He looked at Te'ran and said, "This must be your Saber class servant."

Te'ran replied, "Indeed I am. Since you're not involved in this war, I guess I can tell you. I am…" He looked over at the raven on Elizabeth's shoulder and said, "Too many ears here. I guess I'll save that information for another time."

Baba Yaga squawked and then said angrily, "Imbecile! I'm one of your allies. It's okay for me to know who you are."

"I don't trust you, witch."

"You already know who I am! Return the courtesy!"

Saya groaned in frustration, "Both of you, shut up! His name is Te'ran. As to who the hell that is, no one knows. His history is a mystery and he has yet to tell me too much about himself. I'm sure we'll all get to know each other better as time goes on, but please let's just stay objective. The sooner we start working together, the better and faster this war will go."

Lord El-Melloi agreed with her and said, "Precisely. Though I would love to catch up with you all, I would recommend you get to your base. Your base of operations will be the Balmoral Castle in Scotland."

Elizabeth smiled and said, "I was aware. It's one of my family's properties. I just hope it doesn't get destroyed."

Saya asked in confusion, "Isn't that place owned by the Queen of England?"

"That's the cover story, yes. It belongs to my family at the moment."

"Alright, so how are we going to get there? Car? Helicopter? Plane?"

Baba Yaga giggled and said, "Leave our transportation to me."

Elizabeth couldn't help but chuckle, "Caster is a fan of unconventional modes of transportation."

"What do you mean?"

[Hours Later]

The fields of Scotland passed underneath at great speeds, with their color growing dimmer and dimmer as the sun set in the horizon. Saya didn't care so much about the view, as she was too preoccupied with what she was riding in. She was expecting something less ludicrous than what she was currently in, but she should have expected it considering Baba Yaga's odd tastes and legend. However, nothing prepared her for the experience of flying through the air on a giant mortar, being steered by Baba Yaga with an equally large pestle.

Baba Yaga asked, "How are you fairing, little master of Saber?"

"I'm still at a loss that I'm flying in a mortar. Other than that, I'm fine."

"And how IS Saber?"

Saya looked at him and saw him slouching over the edge of the mortar groaning, "I don't think he likes it."

Baba Yaga looked back and saw Te'ran, "What's wrong, Saber? Are you air sick?"

"This is not as comfortable as flying in a plane." Te'ran replied with a groan. "Too much sensory overload."

"You're just not used to it. Trust me when I say, there's no means of flying that's more fun for me."

"Aren't witches supposed to fly on broomsticks?"

"Normal witches lack imagination. I am a savant! A true pathfinder."

"You're weird."

"Aren't we all? Are any of us ever truly normal? If you hate this, you'll hate my house."

"Why?" Te'ran asked suspiciously.

"Have you ever seen a walking house before?"

"No. I don't want to know."

"You're no fun."

Te'ran righted himself from his slouched position and sat in the mortar, "I can feel a lot of familiar energy. This place has a lot of remnant magic."

Elizabeth explained, "The British Isles have a lot of ley lines that run through it. This is a magical part of the world. From what Saya has told me, you're from a land that was near the isles. So your homeland must have used the same magical sources. That might be why it's so familiar to you."

"Perhaps. I'm still coming to terms that this is truly Albion. I can't sense the fae of the land." He sighed and said, "How times change."

Elizabeth thought for a moment and asked, "This might be a stretch, but are you familiar with the Isle of Skye."

"Yes, that existed in my time. From time to time I would go there to meet with an old friend of mine in a castle known as Dún Scáith."

Saya looked at Elizabeth with surprise on her face and then back at her servant, "You know, I'm happy that you're a bit more comfortable with sharing a bit about yourself."

"I've told you absolutely nothing about me other than the fact that I traveled a lot between these isles in ancient days. Don't twist my openness to converse with me being comfortable enough to talk about myself to any great degree."

Saya laughed nervously and said, "I'd still like to know about you. You're my servant and a servant and master should have a bond. Also, you can trust Elizabeth. She's my best friend and one of the most loyal people I know."

"You can trust her, but I'll keep her at an arm's length."

"Still, let me ask you something. You said that you had a friend in the ancient castle of Dún Scáith, correct?"

"Yeah. Are you familiar with the castle?"

Elizabeth replied instead of Saya, "Let me preface this by saying that it still exists on the Isle of Skye, but it's a ruin now."

Saya continued, "It's not the place that surprises us, but it's who lived in it. Lizzie and I were addicted to learning about mythologies and the mythologies of the British Isles were some of our favorites. So let me ask you this; was this friend named Scathach or Cu Chulainn, by any chance?"

"I never heard of a Cu Chulainn, but my friend was Scathach. I first met Queen Scathach when my people sent a delegation to meet with her and offer her a gift. One of our sacred treasures."

Elizabeth's face took on a look of shock as she asked, "Was it named the Gae Bolg?"

Te'ran looked at her with surprise, "Yes. It was one of seven treasures of my homeland, which we disbursed to our allies throughout Albion. The Gae Bolg was the name of the spear in the tongue of those that lived here. I can no longer remember its old name. The Grail only gave me the names that they were dubbed with by their wielders. Seven treasures in total. Two remained in my homeland, five were given to mighty warriors and their clans."

"Can you recall the other weapons?"

"In the tongue of this land I can recall four of the five. The spear Gae Bolg, the greatsword Caladbolg, the spear Rhongomyniad, and the sword Caledfwlch. My sword is one of these sacred weapons. This one I can recall its original name in my tongue. It is called Eil Gaurl, the Blade of the Wild in modern translation."

Elizabeth considered what he was saying, but found it hard to believe, "I could find no connection of such things in all my years of research on those weapons."

Saya asked, "You researched the weapons?"

"At least the weapons that were used in previous Holy Grail Wars or from servants summoned at any point."

"Which ones were used?"

"All of them! Gae Bolg is a Celtic weapon wielded by Scathach and Cu Chulainn. Caladbolg is a greatsword wielded by Fergus mac Róich, Cu Chulainn's adopted father. The last two belonged to the same person. Rhongomyniad belonged to King Arthur and Caledfwlch is just another name for Excalibur. That's where I find it hard to grasp. In all my years of research, you would think I would have found a connection between all these weapons. It's hard for me to believe that they come from the same place. The mythologies are different. Two belong to the Ulster Cycle and the other two belong to the Arthurian Legends. They're not connected."

Saya replied, "But they all exist in the isles. I personally do not find it too hard to accept, since we do not know the origins of these weapons." She looked back at Te'ran, "How were they made? If you don't mind me asking."

Te'ran thought for a moment and said, "Even I don't know. They were just made using holy magic. That's all I know. Five of the seven were given away and two remained with us. I was given this sword to protect my home in the wilds that formed its borders. For this, I was called the King of the Wilds, but I am no king. Being given this sword was a sign of high honor."

"The other two weapons. Do you remember them?"

"Their names escape me. There was a war scythe that stayed in my homeland, but it vanished with it when it was destroyed. The last was a spear that was said to have been destroyed long before I was born. How or by what it was destroyed by, I do not know. We just call it the Lost Treasure."

"I see. Well, I'm happy that we're having this talk. It gives me a frame of reference to help uncover more about your home and your past. Thank you for at least speaking to us about it."

Te'ran nodded and stayed quiet. He stood and turned back to the edge of the mortar. Something was clearly on his mind and he appeared worried.

Elizabeth inched over to Saya and whispered to her, "Your servant is an enigma, but one that has a lot of information about the past of this land. I don't know how much of what he said was just a story to entertain us or if he was telling the truth."

Saya replied, "There has to be something written about that time."

"No, there's not. The Celts didn't write things down. They made rune drawings about things. The only reason we know about them is because they made these drawings and because of oral tradition."

"Then there's either information out there about Te'ran's homeland or the Celts didn't bother mentioning it in their runes and stories. It doesn't mean that he's lying. I think he's telling the truth."

Baba Yaga called out, "Heads up! We're here!"

The group quickly went to see and saw the castle in the distance, which was to serve as their home for as long as the Holy Grail would continue. Baba Yaga quickly descended towards the castle and landed on its enormous lawn. The group jumped off the mortar and stretched from the long flight in the cramped space.

Elizabeth stretched and groaned, "Finally! I can get to bed and rest."

Baba Yaga giggled and said, "Rest can wait, my dear. We need to meet with our allies first. I can sense multiple presences in the area and many eyes watching us. There's also one getting closer to us."

Te'ran quickly drew his sword and moved in front of Saya, "Get back!" He looked up and saw a figure diving down from the sky, being illuminated by the large crescent moon that hung overhead. He lifted his sword and blocked an attack from the figure and knocked it away. "What the hell!?"

The figure got to its feet and stood up. The human had the shape of an enormous human male, but it was covered in pitch black fur and was extremely muscular. Te'ran noticed that it appeared to be a mix of a man and a wolf, as its legs, claws, and head were that of a wolf's. Its glowing red eyes glared at the group and it bore a visible snarl, presenting its large canines.

Saya looked at the beast and asked, "A werewolf!?"

Te'ran released a seal on one rune and said, "I have no idea what that is, but I know it's not friendly."

The werewolf let out a loud howl and charged towards the group. Te'ran readied his blade as the beast approached, but it was suddenly blasted back by a bolt from Baba Yaga.

She said to him, "Let's take this thing out before it hurts our masters. From what I know, werewolves are incredibly powerful, especially during full moons like tonight. We have to be careful."

Te'ran looked at her and apprehensively said, "Thank you."

She quickly darted to him and asked teasingly, "What was that? Can you say it louder?"

"And now you've lost whatever appreciation I gave you."

"You're no fun."

The werewolf quickly recovered and lunged at them, with Te'ran blocking the attack. He pushed the beast back and fired an air blade at it. The beast saw the blade and slashed it with its claws, surprising Te'ran as it destroyed it with ease. It jumped into the air and came down in a dive speedy dive towards them. The two servants grabbed their masters and jumped out of the way, avoiding a large slam that created a shockwave.

Te'ran jumped to his feet first and ran at the beast, swinging his sword at him, but the beast caught the blade with its claws. It quickly punched Te'ran in his stomach and tossed him to the side violently. It looked over at Baba Yaga and was blasted by a wave of shadow, that caused it to roll on the ground. It rolled to its feet and roared at her before charging on all fours. Baba Yaga braced herself and slammed her staff onto the ground, creating an energy shield that blocked the beast's attack.

The beast roared as it hit the barrier and then stabbed its claws into the barrier easily and pulled it apart, shattering it. It then spoke in a low, growly voice, "Meat."

Baba Yaga was left astonished by the physical power of the beast and the fact that it was speaking. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by seeing the beast lift a clawed arm to strike at her. She quickly vanished into a flock of ravens and reformed away from the beast, forcing it to miss.

The beast roared in frustration and glared at her. It then stopped when it saw a blue gem fly by its face. It focused on it and then saw it glow and explode into a flash of bright light, stunning it. It recoiled in surprise and staggered back. It blinked for a few moments and looked at Saya, seeing her with gems in her hands. She smirked and pointed to the left. It turned its head and was met with Te'ran slashing it across the chest.

The beast stammered back and clutched its chest. Te'ran and Baba Yaga regrouped to face the beast and appeared relieved to have inflicted a blow onto it. That relief was quickly stolen from them as the best stood tall and howled into the night, revealing its wound to be closing.

Te'ran gasped at the sight, "It can regenerate!?"

Baba Yaga sighed and shook her head, "This thing is powerful. I guess we'll have to go for the tried and true method of decapitating it. Get ready!"

The beast again jumped into the sky, causing the two servants to brace themselves to jump again. However, they saw a large, stocky man suddenly jump into the sky and tackle the beast to the ground. The man laughed as it placed the beast into a rear naked choke and said, "That's quite the rude welcome, my boy! Relax! These lot are not our enemies. They're friends. So relax, Berserker!"

Te'ran and Baba Yaga appeared surprised and said together, "Berserker?"

Berserker relaxed under the hold of the man and the man let him go. His beastial form began to shed and a tall man with short black hair appeared in the place of the beast, "Forgive me. I am Peter Stumpp. You can call me Berserker. I thought you were enemies, so I did what I was tasked to do and protected the headquarters."

Te'ran asked, "You're a Berserker? You seem sane to me."

The man that was previously holding him down sat up and chuckled, saying, "Usually he does, but he loses control during full moons. On most nights he can think well enough for himself, but he gains a bloodlust during full moons. To compound this, his condition kinda makes him a cannibal."

Berserker replied to this, "Let's not reveal all my secrets. Yes, my Berserker madness is that beastial nature and the bloodlust. Sadly, I can't control it. You would do well to avoid me during full moon nights." He turned to the man on the ground and said, "You should introduce yourself as well."

The man stood up and patted himself down and adjusted the glasses that balanced themselves on the bridge of his nose. Te'ran took a moment to look at the man and saw that he was very muscular, but it was hidden by what appeared to be an old style military uniform, with a sabre and pistols on his belt. He was also sporting a thick mustache and an ever present smile.

The man cleared his throat and said, "I am the Rider class servant of our team. In my life I was called Theodore Roosevelt. President of the United States and the greatest of the Rough Riders! Nice to make your acquaintance, my lad and lady!"

Te'ran and Baba Yaga relaxed and put their weapons away. Baba Yaga replied first, "Hello, I am the Caster of our team. You may call me Caster or Baba Yaga."

Te'ran then replied, "I am our team's Saber class servant. Call me Saber."

Rider looked at him and asked, "No first or last name to call you by, my boy?"

"No. Just Saber. We'll see how things pan out during this Holy Grail War and maybe I'll tell you my name."

"Fair enough! Now, let's not dally any longer here on the lawn. Sure, the night is beautiful, but I'm sure you're all tired from your travels. Let's enter the castle and meet with the others. I'm sure they'll be glad to finally have everyone here. Also, you could all use a good rest. Sleep makes you strong, but never as strong as I am." He said with a loud and hearty laugh. He saw everyone smile at the joke, except for Te'ran. "It's a joke, lad."

Te'ran nodded, "That much I gathered."

The group began to walk to the castle, finally happy to no longer be travelling. Rider quickly used the opportunity and walked up to Te'ran draping a large arm around his shoulders and said, "Cheer up, boy! We're all friends here. Learn to rely on us and we'll learn to rely on you. That's how this works."

Te'ran let out a sigh and said, "I've always been a solitary fighter."

"Not with me, you're not! When you're with me, you're going to socialize. You'll see, we're be fast friends, you and I." He said, patting him on the back with another laugh. "We'll go camping, wrestle, and fight bears."

"Fight bears?" Te'ran asked quizzically.

"I love a good challenge, boy."

Saya laughed at the conversation and commented, "Looks like you'll fit right in with Mr. Roosevelt."

Rider laughed and replied, "All my allies are my friends. You cannot work together with your enemies. You'll see. We'll be inseparable by the end of this."

At that Te'ran let out a chuckle, "We'll see, old man."

* * *

**I actually had a whole lot of fun writing this chapter. While the battles were short and a lot of information is thrown at you in this chapter, it'll all be relevant later and it'll save me a lot of time to add onto the story. Also, expect the battles to get a lot longer and more methodical than attack and defend. Remember to give me your feedback and I'll see you guys on the next chapter. Bye!**


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